Last update: Nov 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Brossard and San Jose

For one person, living is cheaper in San Jose: $2,107 a month against $2,516 in Brossard, rent and utilities included – about $4,900 less a year. Rent and utilities account for most of the difference.

Brossard, Canada
San Jose, Costa Rica
Brossard
🇨🇦 Canada
$2,516
/mo nomad
San Jose
🇨🇷 Costa Rica
$2,107
/mo nomad
Monthly Cost of Living

How much you'll spend in Brossard and in San Jose

Real prices from locals and on-the-ground checks – rent, groceries, transit and the daily extras. Here's what a month in Brossard and in San Jose actually costs, broken down by who's living it.

A single person spends $2,516 per month in Brossard vs $2,107 in San Jose, rent included.

  • Brossard $2,516
  • San Jose $2,107

A couple spends around $3,401 per month in Brossard vs $3,081 in San Jose, rent included.

  • Brossard $3,401
  • San Jose $3,081

A family of three spends $4,286 per month in Brossard vs $4,054 in San Jose, rent included.

  • Brossard $4,286
  • San Jose $4,054

Brossard costs about 19% more than San Jose, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in transport.

Both Brossard and San Jose sit above the global median – Brossard by 86%, San Jose by 56%.

Currency
🍽 Eating Out
Brossard
San Jose
Difference
Meal at Budget Restaurant
$18.87 CA$26.45
$12.37 ₡5,563
52.55%
Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range
$71.2 CA$99.8
$62.4 ₡28.0K
14.09%
Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)
$10.67 CA$14.95
$11.71 ₡5,264
-8.88%
Cappuccino
$3.94 CA$5.52
$4.54 ₡2,040
-13.22%
Coke/Pepsi/Fanta/Sprite (0.33 liter bottle)
$1.99 CA$2.79
$2.75 ₡1,238
-27.64%
Water (0.33 liter bottle)
$1.61 CA$2.26
$1.86 ₡837
-13.44%
Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)
$5.82 CA$8.15
$3.35 ₡1,505
73.73%
Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)
$5.78 CA$8.11
$4.32 ₡1,944
33.80%
🛒 Groceries & Markets
Brossard
San Jose
Difference
Milk (1 liter)
$2.23 CA$3.13
$2.36 ₡1,061
-5.51%
White Bread (500g)
$2.79 CA$3.91
$3.07 ₡1,379
-9.12%
Rice (white) (1kg)
$3.67 CA$5.15
$2.51 ₡1,128
46.22%
Eggs
$3.51 CA$4.92
$3.53 ₡1,585
-0.57%
Local Cheese (1kg)
$8.80 CA$12.34
$10.54 ₡4,738
-16.51%
Chicken Fillets (1kg)
$11.72 CA$16.43
$10.57 ₡4,754
10.88%
Beef Round Steak (1kg)
$12.22 CA$17.13
$13.92 ₡6,261
-12.21%
Apples (1kg)
$3.52 CA$4.93
$5.20 ₡2,338
-32.31%
Banana (1kg)
$1.52 CA$2.13
$1.65 ₡740
-7.88%
Oranges (1kg)
$3.38 CA$4.74
$4.89 ₡2,198
-30.88%
Tomato (1kg)
$3.16 CA$4.43
$3.84 ₡1,728
-17.71%
Potato (1kg)
$1.89 CA$2.66
$3.91 ₡1,757
-51.66%
Onion (1kg)
$1.86 CA$2.61
$3.76 ₡1,692
-50.53%
Lettuce (1 head)
$2.42 CA$3.39
$1.12 ₡504
116.07%
Water (1.5 liter bottle)
$1.50 CA$2.10
$3.22 ₡1,447
-53.42%
Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)
$14.49 CA$20.31
$6.02 ₡2,706
140.70%
Wine (Bottle)
$10.70 CA$14.99
$19.84 ₡8,919
-46.07%
Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)
$2.29 CA$3.22
$2.81 ₡1,264
-18.51%
Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)
$2.95 CA$4.14
$3.65 ₡1,643
-19.18%
🚌 Getting Around
Brossard
San Jose
Difference
One-way Ticket (Public Transport)
$3.15 CA$4.41
$1.08 ₡487
191.67%
Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)
$187 CA$262
$65.2 ₡29.3K
186.82%
Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)
$3.01 CA$4.21
$2.26 ₡1,018
33.19%
Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)
$1.44 CA$2.02
$1.78 ₡799
-19.10%
Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)
$33.27 CA$46.64
$7.90 ₡3,551
321.14%
Gasoline (1 liter)
$1.35 CA$1.89
$1.50 ₡673
-10.00%
Midsize Hatchback 1.4l (Volkswagen Golf, Toyota Prius, Honda Civic, etc)
$27.6K CA$38.8K
$33.5K ₡15.1M
-17.40%
Compact Sedan 1.6l (Toyota Corolla, Mazda3, Kia K4, Hyundai Elantra, etc)
$21.8K CA$30.6K
$42.3K ₡19.0M
-48.45%
🧾 Monthly Utilities & Internet
Brossard
San Jose
Difference
Utilities for 2 People in 2-bedroom Apartment (Heating, Electricity, Gas, Water, Garbage) (85m2)
$99.1 CA$139
$93.2 ₡41.9K
6.37%
SIM Card Monthly Plan (Calls and 10GB+ Data)
$35.80 CA$50.2
$36.13 ₡16.2K
-0.91%
Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)
$44.92 CA$63.0
$60.6 ₡27.2K
-25.86%
🎉 Sport & Entertainment
Brossard
San Jose
Difference
Gym Membership (Monthly)
$20.46 CA$28.68
$68.9 ₡31.0K
-70.32%
Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)
-
$24.94 ₡11.2K
-
Cinema Ticket
$11.03 CA$15.46
$7.67 ₡3,449
43.81%
🧸 Childcare & Education
Brossard
San Jose
Difference
Preschool or Kindergarten, Full Day, Private, 1 Child (Monthly)
$692 CA$970
$972 ₡436.9K
-28.80%
International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)
$6,076 CA$8,517
$18.9K ₡8.5M
-67.80%
👕👟 Clothing & Footwear
Brossard
San Jose
Difference
Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)
$58.8 CA$82.4
$70.6 ₡31.8K
-16.79%
Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)
$38.20 CA$53.5
$56.7 ₡25.5K
-32.60%
Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)
$90.6 CA$127
$129 ₡57.8K
-29.60%
Men's Leather Business Shoes
$110 CA$154
$131 ₡58.8K
-15.81%
🏠 Accommodation & Living
Brossard
San Jose
Difference
1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)
$969 CA$1,359
$1,170 ₡525.9K
-17.12%
1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)
$1,332 CA$1,868
$943 ₡424.1K
41.26%
3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)
$1,749 CA$2,452
$1,984 ₡892.0K
-11.83%
3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)
$1,566 CA$2,196
$1,400 ₡629.5K
11.87%
Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)
$2,536 CA$3,555
$2,681 ₡1.2M
-5.40%
Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)
$2,110 CA$2,957
$2,037 ₡915.8K
3.59%
💵 Salaries & Financials
Brossard
San Jose
Difference
Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)
$2,646 CA$3,709
$987 ₡443.6K
168.17%
20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)
4.51
8.62
-47.68%

CityCost data is based on AI and user input – minor inaccuracies may occur.

Last update for Brossard: November 1, 2026

Last update for San Jose: November 2, 2026

Monthly budget structure
Share of the monthly basket for one person, rent included.
Accommodation & Living
Brossard
$1.3K
San Jose
$943 29.2% $389
Groceries & Markets
Brossard
$332
San Jose
$403 21.1% $70
Eating Out
Brossard
$285
San Jose
$232 18.5% $53
Getting Around
Brossard
$210
San Jose
$81 61.5% $129
Monthly Utilities & Internet
Brossard
$180
San Jose
$190 5.6% $10
Clothing & Footwear
Brossard
$134
San Jose
$174 29.9% $40
Sport & Entertainment
Brossard
$43
San Jose
$84 98.2% $42

Cost Breakdown

A central one-bedroom costs $969 in Brossard versus $1,170 in San Jose. Rent is usually the largest line item in a monthly budget, so the gap here sets the tone for the overall comparison.

Salaries in Brossard are about 2.7 times higher. Purchasing power depends on which expenses matter most to you.

A mid-range dinner for two costs $71 in Brossard versus $62 in San Jose. Groceries tell a different story – $332 in Brossard vs $403 in San Jose – so Brossard wins on supermarket bills even if dining out costs more.

Good to know
🇨🇦 Brossard
🇨🇷 San Jose
🕒 Local time
04:07 4:07 AM
03:07 3:07 AM
1 h behind Brossard
🌤 Weather
👥 Population
91,525
342,188 Capital
💱 Currency
Exchange rates and currency converter

CRC, USD, EUR to CAD – Canadian Dollar Converter

Canadian Dollar exchange rates as of November 6, 2026: 1 USD = 1.4 CAD (1 CAD = 0.713 USD). 1 EUR = 1.57 CAD (1 CAD = 0.635 EUR).

Costa Rican Colón exchange rates as of November 6, 2026: 1 USD = 450 CRC (1,000 CRC = 2.22 USD). 1 EUR = 505 CRC (1,000 CRC = 1.98 EUR).

On the map
Between locations
  • Brossard San Jose 4,080 km ≈ 6 h nonstop flight
From you
  • Brossard
  • San Jose

Distances are measured in a straight line. Your location is detected approximately.

City Median Internet Speeds Comparison (Updated April 2026)

The chart highlights the Precision Threshold for mobile and fixed broadband internet speeds, updated quarterly.
Digital Nomad Cost of Living Index
Brossard vs San Jose: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions
How do living costs in Brossard and in San Jose compare overall?
Monthly costs with rent: $2,516 in Brossard, $2,107 in San Jose – San Jose comes out roughly 16% cheaper. Outside of rent, the biggest gap is in transport.
What salary covers living expenses in Brossard compared to San Jose?
For a comfortable life, plan on about $3,774 per month in Brossard and $3,161 in San Jose. That covers rent, food, utilities, transport, and enough left over to feel settled – not just surviving.
How do rents compare between Brossard and San Jose?
Rent is clearly cheaper in Brossard, especially for central apartments: a one-bedroom in the center costs $969 there versus $1,170 in San Jose.
How do commuting costs compare in Brossard and in San Jose?
Public transport costs about 65% less in San Jose. For daily commuters, that gap adds up to noticeable savings over a year.
What is the difference in childcare costs between Brossard and San Jose?
Kindergarten costs $692 per month in Brossard and $972 in San Jose. For families with young kids, this one expense can tip the scales when choosing between the two cities.
Which city is more doable on $2,500 per month?
A $2,500 monthly budget goes further in San Jose, where all-in costs run around $2,107, than in Brossard at $2,516. In San Jose it covers expenses comfortably, while in Brossard it requires careful planning or may not stretch far enough.
How does quality of life compare between Brossard and San Jose?
It depends on your priorities. San Jose has an edge in some lifestyle areas, with costs from $2,107 in San Jose to $2,516 in Brossard. Climate, culture, job market, and personal taste all factor in.
How do I decide between Brossard and San Jose?
If budget matters most, go with San Jose. If higher salaries or specific career opportunities are the priority, Brossard makes more sense. Both are solid long-term options with distinct trade-offs.

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